So I'm getting ready for an art show. It has definitely been a strange journey for me as this year has been a challenge of my health both mental and physical. But as the Universe would have it, my mother-in law, who is also an artist decided to bring me in on an art show. I wan't sure I was going to be able to pull myself together to make it happen but here we are a week out and the prints are done and they are being framed as we speak. And when will this magic occur? The night before I am to have major surgery, the culmination of all my health issues being resolved the morning after. The surgeon even said I could have a drink at my art show. I dare not push the envelope and am very happy to have the opportunity to show my work and my vision!

A couple of days ago I went to a new place to take pictures in my neighborhood. It was a brooding day full of dark clouds. I like these kind of days for photography because you get the best pictures of clouds. Clouds express such a great dramatic element to any photograph. But clouds were not the only element of drama that day...

As I was wandering the pathways of Scriber Lake Park in Lynnwood I couldn't help but feel that something ominous had happened there. There was a black trash bag lying in the middle of the grass, a random sock hanging near the marsh, and other strange things lying about. I made sure that even thought I had my iPod playing in my ears that the volume was low enough for me to pay attention to my surroundings. My instincts were on alert as I took pictures of the strange marshland. It was hard to get past the barrier of water logged trees and plants to see what may lie beyond. A private and protected feeling of the deeper sanctum of the marsh. I only hoped it was protecting the birds and animals and not hiding something from being seen. Strange that I would feel that way there as I often wander forests and woodlands on my own.

A collection created in my gallery from this visit. All photos similarly developed to add consistency of style and feel. Using Lightroom and a filter called X Pro II with a gradient filter to strongly polarize the sky.

When I travel, the adventure gives me an opportunity for renewal of vision. A chance to see new things and experience different communities. Going to Portland, Oregon is a subtle change from the ordinary. Enough to revive this woman's heart and spirit. Art and poetry require energy and getting away once and awhile really makes a difference.

As I prepare the tireless effort of posting all the years of poetry on my website I had to make sure I was protecting my words and ideas. Luckily over the many years I have posted on my blog : blogspot. That has given each poem and piece of art a time stamp placing when it became. Or to put it more poetically: birthed into this world.

My next adventure will be connecting with publishers or places that publish work. I haven't decided whether to mix the digital art and photography into one book yet. Sort of a timeline of sorts. So you can see the progression of my thought and process or to separate them. Time will tell.

This morning I woke and decided that I had a logo. My vision was for a circle with circles inside. This represents my multi-layered talents and interests. The logo encompasses the complexity of my interests in photography, art, digital art, poetry, writing and something I've yet to discover.

Circles represent wholeness and protection. Circles represent life. In total there are 7 circles. I am heavily influenced by my studies of Taoism and Qigong. As so I look to the Chinese interpretation of the number 7.

The Chinese meaning for the number 7 is as follows:

Seven is the number of a perfectly completed cycle, as each phase of the moon lasts for seven days (the four phases of the moon form a complete cycle). This may be why so many ceremonies and festivals in China are celebrated on the seventh day - to seal the perfection of the occasion and to commemorate the intention of the event. The theme of time cycles is repeated when we see Chinese philosophy deems the number seven as a symbol of woman-ness (also connected with feminine moon cycles). The idea of perfect timing and the ordering of nature is expressed with the numeric union of the 4 (symbolic of Earth in Chinese philosophy) and 3 ( symbolic of heavenly attribute). Number seven tells us that to everything there is a larger, grander, more divine construct that sustains life. Perhaps that construct is comprised of the energies of the seven Chinese gods of prosperity: Ebisu the god of business, Daikoku the god of wealth, Bishamonten the god of war, Benzaiten the goddess of the arts, Hotei the god of health, Jurojin god of wisdom, and Fukurokuju god of happiness. The Chinese zodiac symbol for seven is the Horse, and South is this number's Feng Shui coordinate.

A Digital Piece: The Red Queen, and my thoughts on ruling.....

The Red Queen holds power. She is magical and powerful. She is neither good nor evil, but knows both. She is comfortable with all of life and does not fear death. Fearless, she rules absolutely. She must be more than a king. For a man must simply rule, a Queen must hypnotize those around her and must hold people in awe of her. She must maintain her mystery, her mythology deeply protected by her most trusted. Being a Queen is not easy, no not easy at all...

I am in a learning glut. I really can't get enough. You could say I'm obsessed but that would mean that I have no life. I mean staying up until 11 every night to play around and creating is a healthy undertaking right? I'm so grateful to skillshare for all the great classes. I'm having a great time and I get to make cool stuff like this:

Fog holds special excitement for me as a photographer. Timing is everything because as the day grows warmer it can burn off. That morning I woke up and saw that everything was surrounded in fog and so I bundled up and grabbed my camera. I drove very carefully to my favorite forest, Yost Park in Edmonds. There I was able to capture the magic of the light inside the fog.